My first in-flight mechanical failure

On 2004-09-27, dave wrote:
A few years ago, my IFR instructor and I were shooting approaches at an
uncontrolled field in a rented archer. After a missed approach
procedure we both heard the engine noise drop. We both looked at each
and asked "did you touch the throttle?". Neither of us had so we knew
it was probably a failed mag. We continued around and landed. We
called back to the flight school to send somebody out to get us. Nice
to have two of those mags! I'm actually glad it happened. It was a good
learning experience with an undramatic and happy ending. There was no
question in either of our minds that although we could have flown back
to the fbo at PNE, we wouldn't. Why take a chance?

Taking off with a bad magneto is a really stupid thing to do, and has
actually killed people. See:

http://www.aopa.org/asf/epilot_acc/atl02fa137.html

in which a CFI and his student elect to takeoff despite knowing that
the plane has a malfunctioning magneto. CFIs should know better than
that.


So you made the right choice by not flying an airplane with known
mechanical problems.



--
Kevin Brown